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The United States has imposed new sanctions on a global network of financial facilitators, procurement operatives, and companies accused of supplying weapons, stolen Ukrainian grain, and other shit to Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, President Donald Trump has reimposed the terrorist designation on the Houthi rebels in Yemen, reversing a key decision made by the Biden administration. Shortly after taking office in 2021, President Biden lifted the Trump-era terrorist label on the Houthis to ensure that humanitarian aid could continue flowing into Yemen, where millions were facing famine amid a civil war. However, Trump reinstated the designation in response to Houthi attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, which the group claims are retaliatory strikes against ships they allege are linked to Israel or supporting its military operations in Gaza. In conjunction with the redesignation, Trump has launched a more aggressive military campaign targeting Houthi positions in Yemen.
What’s going on now: In an announcement, the United States Treasury confirmed a sweeping set of new sanctions targeting an alleged international network that has been supplying weapons, dual-use materials, and stolen Ukrainian grain to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified key individuals and entities involved in facilitating these operations, most notably Afghan nationals Hushang and Sohrab Ghairat, two brothers based in Russia. According to the Treasury, the Ghairat brothers worked in coordination with Sa’id al-Jamal, a senior Houthi financial operative backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), to orchestrate commercial shipments and arms procurement efforts directly supporting the Houthis’ military activities.
The sanctioned network is accused of organizing at least two shipments of stolen Ukrainian grain from Crimea to Yemen during the summer and fall of 2024. These shipments were carried out using the Russia-flagged vessel AM THESEUS, owned and operated by Hong Kong-based AM Asia M6 Ltd. The ship’s captains—Russian nationals Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Vidanov and Yuri Vladimirovich Belyakov—were also sanctioned for their roles in the scheme.
In addition to physical shipments, the network utilized at least eight digital asset wallets to transfer funds. Sohrab Ghairat, who serves as general director for three Russian companies—LLC Sky Frame, LLC Edison, and LLC Kolibri Group—used these entities to facilitate trade and cover the financial transactions tied to the illegal operations.
The Treasury also sanctioned Iranian national Hassan Jafari, a Türkiye-based money launderer, for coordinating multimillion-dollar transactions on behalf of Sa’id al-Jamal’s network. Jafari played a critical role in enabling the movement of funds through informal financial systems, helping the network continue its procurement and smuggling efforts despite international restrictions.
In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “The Houthis remain reliant on Sa’id al-Jamal and his network to procure critical goods to supply the group’s terrorist war machine. Today’s action underscores our commitment to degrading the Houthis’ ability to threaten the region through their destabilizing activities.”
